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08 August 2006

Playing the Odds and Evens

We expected 104 students for the math WASL retake this morning, and like yesterday, we tested far less: 89 came for the morning session...and 88 returned after lunch to finish the assessment.

The two teachers who have been working with students since the end of June in order to prepare kids for the retake tested their own students. The other 50-51 occupied space in the library. Interestingly enough, the library students were done far ahead of the others. The students who have been preparing all summer have been well-trained in thorough thinking and taking their time with problems. They have been working through five hours of math per day for 20 days. They were ready to sit and make the test their bitch after spending their summer in school. My guess is that there will be a significant difference in their scores---not just vs. their original results, but against the kids who just came and retested. I think the odds are stacked greatly in favour of those who made the effort to prepare.